Past tense review – B2 English Grammar Test

1  Choose the correct options to complete the sentences.

1   Last Sunday my dad was taking / had taken / took me to the zoo.

2   I wasn’t very hungry as I had eaten / was eating / used to eat an hour before.

3   We walked / were walking / used to walk on the beach when suddenly we heard thunder.

4   In the end I hadn’t bought / didn’t buy / wasn’t buying the shirt.

5   I was excited because I wasn’t going / hadn’t been / didn’t go to a theme park before.

6   Every Sunday afternoon we used to go / had gone / were going to the cinema.

2  Put the words in the correct order to make sentences and questions. There is one extra word you don’t need.

1   been / had / never / my / grandma / go / abroad

      ……My grandma had never been abroad. ……

2   to / was / a lot / cook / used / her mum

      ……………………………………………..

3   won / had / my brother / a prize / did

      ……………………………………………..

4   living / we / used / small / in / were / flat / a

      ……………………………………………..

5   were / annoying / you / at / brother / your / ?

      ……………………………………………..

6   were / holiday / go on / did / your family / ?

      ……………………………………………..

3  Complete the sentences with the past perfect form of the verbs in the box.

1   Robin couldn’t see very well because he ……had forgotten…… his glasses.

2   ……………… you ……………… the book before you saw the film?

3   My grandfather was an excellent player because he ……………………………… hundreds of lessons.

4   Tina was very tired because she ……………………………… much the night before.

5   Was that the first time you ……………………………… another country without your family?

6   My mum couldn’t take her shoes back to the shop because she ……………………………… the receipt.

4  Complete the sentences with the correct past form of the verbs in brackets. Sometimes more than one answer is possible.

1   At five o’clock yesterday my brother and I ……were playing….. (play) computer games.

2   Before bed my dad always ……………………………… (read) me a story.

3   It was the first time I ……………………………… (meet) my cousin.

4   ……………… you ……………… (visit) your grandparents a lot when you were younger?

5   When I was a child I ……………………………… (not play) with my sister very much because she’s older.

6   Why was she nervous? ……………… she never ……………… (fly) on a plane before?

5  Find and correct the mistakes in the sentences.

1   I used to reading a lot of detective stories when I was younger.

      ……I used to read a lot of detective stories when I was younger. ……

2   My grandma was a great cook. She knows how to make lots of dishes.

      …………………………………………………………

3   My brother was wanting to join the rugby club for ages before he signed up.

      …………………………………………………………

4   Once my sister is pushing me in a trolley and suddenly a shelf fell down.

      …………………………………………………………

5   It was the first time I go to the USA.

      …………………………………………………………

6  Complete the story with the correct form of the verbs in the box.

One day in summer, my brother Tom and I 1……were playing…… in the garden. I 2……………………… a brace on my teeth because I 3……………………… to the dentist the day before, and the dentist 4……………………… me to wear it all the time. Now, with this big new brace in my mouth, it 5……………………… very difficult to speak. ‘Throw me the ball!’ I called to Tom. ‘Dow de da dall!’ he 6……………………… back at me. Tom 7……………………… me all the time when we were kids. Our parents usually intervened but on this occasion they 8……………………… in the kitchen. So what 9………………… I ………………? Well, I 10……………………… the brace and threw it over the fence! Nowadays, Tom and I 11……………………… great and since that day we 12……………………… very close friends.